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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27344521">With Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lagerstatte/pseuds/Lagerstatte'>Lagerstatte</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hades (Video Game 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, Canon Compliant, Finger Sucking, Hand Feeding, Hand Jobs, M/M, Mild Gore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:55:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,421</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27344521</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lagerstatte/pseuds/Lagerstatte</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Thanatos’ hand was cool. His fingers brushed Zagreus’ chin to tilt his face up. ‘Then open your mouth,’ he said, and Zagreus’ mouth opened, obedient.</p><p>The heart, in contrast to Thanatos, was hot. Still hot, Zagreus guessed, though how it hadn’t cooled down, or stopped beating, for that matter, he had no idea. He was fairly sure mortals died when their organs were removed, and dead things went cold, and their hearts stopped beating.</p><p>Well, whatever. He wasn’t going to question it now — not when the rhythmic thu-thump sent strange shivers through his jaw as the heart touched his teeth, or the way fresh blood started to seep from it into his mouth, on his tongue, down his chin. It tasted like his own blood did, when he coughed it up from a punctured lung, or something punched his teeth in, or it dripped down between his lips from a face wound. He licked the solid, firm mass of the heart, gathering more of its blood onto his tongue, swallowing it, sweet and rich and metallic. Then he tilted his head to get a better angle, opened his mouth a little wider, and bit down.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>122</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>With Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the kinkmeme prompt <a href="https://hadeskinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/741.html?thread=25829&amp;style=site#cmt25829">here</a>.</p><p>Thank you for reading!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The thu-thump beating of the centaur heart filled the cool Elysium air. It was a remarkably soft sound, Zagreus thought, for the sheer amount of strength and power held inside the thing. Strength and power he really needed if he was going to bust out of here.</p><p>He’d won the contest; Thanatos was handing it to him. He could take it, but that would mean Thanatos would leave again.</p><p>‘Where do you get these things, anyway?’ he asked, instead. 'You’re always handing them out; got a secret supplier up there on the surface? Hold on, it’s not Charon, is it? He charges me through the nose for these, and I know you’re not rolling in cash. Tell me he doesn’t give you freebies. He might be your brother but I feel we’ve become very good friends recently, and my feelings are going to be very hurt if it turns out he’s gives other people freebies.’</p><p>Thanatos rolled his eyes. ‘This,’ he said, gesturing slightly with the heart, deepest red and wet and beating in his hand, ‘I collected myself.’</p><p>‘Oh,’ Zagreus said — and oh, of course, figured that even centaurs needed guiding to the afterlife. But also— ‘but it’s still alive.’</p><p>‘The heart is, yes. I… may have removed it beforehand.’</p><p>That surprised a bark of laughter from Zagreus. ‘Aren’t you the god of <em>peaceful</em> death?’ he said. ‘Didn’t know getting your heart brutally ripped out counted as peaceful these days.’</p><p>Thanatos’ brow furrowed, and he pulled that almost-fond but mostly exasperated face he did when Zagreus’ jokes amused him. ‘It wasn’t brutally ripped out,’ he said. ‘The extraction is easy, and as you can see, it lasted considerably longer than she did.’</p><p>Well, he had a point there. Not that Zagreus knew the ins and outs of mortal death; Thanatos was the expert in that. ‘If you say so, Than,’ he said, just to wind him up. ‘I believe you. Truly, I do.’</p><p>‘Do you want it or not?’ Thanatos said, crossing his arms. The centaur heart brushed against the bare part of his chest and left a smear of blood. That red on pale, bloodless skin caught Zagreus’ eye — so much brighter than the dark, almost black red of the heart. Vibrant. Like his own, if no one else’s.</p><p>‘Uh,’ Zagreus said. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I would, thanks. Since I did beat you at your own game and all. Fair’s fair.’</p><p>‘My own game?’ Thanatos scoffed, and he didn’t unfold his arms. The centaur heart beat peacefully between his long fingers, and more blood trickled down them, dripping onto the ground below. ‘I came here to help you, Zag. If anyone’s playing a game, it’s you.’</p><p>‘This isn’t a game,’ Zagreus said, but more out of reflex than with the intention to fight. He rarely wanted to fight with Thanatos, and now wasn’t an exception. Especially not when he was torn between wanting Thanatos to keep the heart and stay, talk longer, and for Thanatos to hand over his prize, and come close enough Zagreus could touch.</p><p>Thanatos sighed, face softening. He unfolded his arms, but only to stare down at the heart, without proffering it like he normally did. ‘Well, you did earn it; I can’t deny that,’ he said. His thumb smoothed over the surface of it, black-red, except the yellow-red of the trim and edges. Blood had seeped under and around his nail, framing it vividly.</p><p>Zagreus waited.</p><p>‘Do you remember when we used to wrestle?’ Thanatos asked.</p><p>‘Yeah,’ Zagreus said, ‘when I was a kid and you were grown, so don’t think you winning all those times meant anything.’</p><p>‘Immaterial,’ Thanatos said, with a slight toss of his head, like he were casting off the accusation. ‘You’d already started receiving training from Achilles himself, so don’t try and claim you were at a disadvantage. You weren’t that young, either. But that’s not the point.’</p><p>‘I’m not going to wrestle you for it, Than,’ Zagreus said, because he wasn’t sure he could win, and pride told him he’d already won the damn thing. It definitely wasn’t because the thought of wrestling Thanatos — the touch of his hands and arms and thighs, the strength and strain of muscles beneath his cool skin, the panting breath and sweat and—</p><p>‘I wasn’t suggesting that,’ Thanatos said, irritatingly dismissive given he was the one being vague. ‘Merely reminiscing.’</p><p>‘Okay,’ Zagreus said, as he forced thoughts of wrestling from the forefront of his mind. ‘So, is there something you wanted to say? You seem awfully hesitant right now. Something on your mind? You can tell me, whatever it is. No one’s here, don’t worry. We definitely got them all.’</p><p>Thanatos rolled his eyes, but he still looked away. So he was embarrassed about something. Just so long as he didn’t disappear again and leave the heart behind without even handing it over. The thought of that made Zagreus want to lunge forward and grab at him, but that never stopped him when he wanted out. Stupid Thanatos and his ability to disappear whenever he wanted to. It was only long practice that let Zagreus stand still and wait.</p><p>‘You can eat these, you know,’ Thanatos said, eventually.</p><p>Zagreus blinked. Another weird tangent? Okay, whatever. ‘I didn’t, actually,’ he said. ‘Do they taste nice? Worth keeping one and handing it over to the head chef back home?’</p><p>‘You could, but it would be a waste,’ Thanatos said. He finally turned his yellow eyes on Zagreus. ‘But if you wanted… you could eat it now. I could feed it to you. If you wanted.’</p><p>‘Feed me?’ Zagreus said, half a laugh on his lips at the unexpected, but it died when he saw Thanatos withdraw. ‘No! I mean, no, don’t go. I wasn’t laughing at you. If you wanted to, uh, feed me, go for it. Even though it is pretty big. It better not give me a stomach ache, and I’m blaming you if it does.’</p><p>Thanatos rolled his eyes again, and moved towards Zagreus, closer and closer, until his feet hit the ground, and they stood close Zagreus could see each individual hair of Thanatos’ eyelashes, and the exact curve of his thin upper lip. Thanatos put a hand on Zagreus’ chest and pushed him, and Zagreus fell back.</p><p>The grass didn’t feel like much under his feet, but under his hands it was strangely spongy, soft, the sort of thing that was hard to tell if it were damp or merely cold. Sitting, legs splayed in front of him, Zagreus let himself be pushed backwards until he hit the base of a plinth, hard and unyielding behind him — and in front of him, Thanatos, kneeling between his legs, and taking off his gauntlet.</p><p>Zagreus’ breath caught. His eyes flickered between Thanatos’ eyes, the red smear still across his chest, and the pulsating heart in his hand. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Okay, give it to me.’</p><p>Thanatos’ hand was cool. His fingers brushed Zagreus’ chin to tilt his face up. ‘Then open your mouth,’ he said, and Zagreus’ mouth opened, obedient.</p><p>The heart, in contrast to Thanatos, was hot. Still hot, Zagreus guessed, though how it hadn’t cooled down, or stopped beating, for that matter, he had no idea. He was fairly sure mortals died when their organs were removed, and dead things went cold, and their hearts stopped beating.</p><p>Well, whatever. He wasn’t going to question it now — not when the rhythmic thu-thump sent strange shivers through his jaw as the heart touched his teeth, or the way fresh blood started to seep from it into his mouth, on his tongue, down his chin. It tasted like his own blood did, when he coughed it up from a punctured lung, or something punched his teeth in, or it dripped down between his lips from a face wound. He licked the solid, firm mass of the heart, gathering more of its blood onto his tongue, swallowing it, sweet and rich and metallic. Then he tilted his head to get a better angle, opened his mouth a little wider, and bit down.</p><p>It trembled between his teeth as he bit into it, like a bat caught in the fist, perhaps; it was tougher than he expected, and he needed to dig his teeth in and turn his head sharply to tear off a chunk. It was only a small piece — perhaps the size of half a finger, easily swallowable. It slipped down his throat, wet and smooth, coating his entire mouth with the thick, raw taste. A spark of energy he hadn’t had before filled him up, burning inside him, like throwing fresh wood onto a fire.</p><p>‘Good,’ Thanatos said, and pressed the heart back to Zagreus’ lips. His hand moved from Zagreus’ chin to his jawline, stroking with the back of his fingers. It went around the back of Zagreus’ head, fingers combing through his hair, and briefly gripped him by the nape of his neck. The grip forced Zagreus’ head up, his mouth opening wider in a gasp.</p><p>Thanatos took the opportunity to proffer the heart again, and Zagreus bit it as best he could, trying to sink his teeth into the tough flesh, get a good grip and worry it loose. He’d heard dogs were used by mortals as hunting companions, up on the surface. At the time he’d been dubious — Cerberus wouldn’t be a good hunting partner at all, he’d just bound on ahead and eat whatever it was they were hunting — but now he imagined Cerberus’ teeth catching something, digging in, rending the flesh apart.</p><p>His teeth were too blunt; his jaw muscles ached at the pressure he had to hold the flesh at in order to successfully tear it. This would be a lot easier if he had fangs, like Cerberus did. Or if he could use a blade.</p><p>Thanatos’ yellow eyes were bright, his focus intense, all on Zagreus alone. Zagreus had the feeling he wouldn’t let him use a blade for this, but — but that was fine. Blood bubbled through his teeth as he breathed through the wet mouthful and pulled back to tear it away. It was still beating — the first piece had been too small to tell, but this one was bigger, and he instinctively chewed at it before swallowing, and felt it pulse faintly on his tongue, against the insides of his cheek. More strength, more life within him. Thanatos’ eyes on him felt like they were burning.</p><p>Blood made Zagreus’ face and throat sticky. Thanatos’ fingertips dragged against the skin of his lips, down over his chin, to run up and down over the line of his throat. Zagreus swallowed, even though he didn’t have anything left in his mouth.</p><p>‘Why’d you stop?’ Thanatos said, impatient in a way he rarely was, and Zagreus blinked, because he hadn’t realised he had stopped. Pressing forward to take another bite pushed his neck against Thanatos’ cold fingers, and just before he swallowed Thanatos covered his neck with the palm of his hand. So he could feel it, Zagreus thought, with a shiver, his whole body heating up like he were back in Asphodel. His face was flushed; his whole neck and chest was flushed, he was sure.</p><p>He was half-hard, and he groaned faintly when Thanatos gripped him by the hair to hold him still, and took a bite of the heart himself. Blood splattered as he bit down, droplets hitting Zagreus’ cheek, and dripped down Thanatos’ face, off his chin, staining the pale gold of his gorget. He didn’t swallow, though — instead he dipped down, and brought his face to Zagreus’, and fed him the torn fragment mouth-to-mouth.</p><p>Thanatos’ breath was cool on Zagreus’ skin. His lips were soft and cold, tacky from blood, tasting of blood. The trembling piece of heart slipped into Zagreus’ mouth, warm, and only then did Thanatos draw back.</p><p>For a moment Zagreus couldn’t react. Like pain remained even after the weapon withdrew, the pressure of Thanatos’ lips on his own remained, and the movement of his breath, and the press of something solid and hot and heavy from Thanatos’ mouth into his own, where it still sat on his tongue, beating faintly. Then Thanatos said, ‘Well, Zagreus?’</p><p>Zagreus swallowed at the piece of heart, no bigger in size but infinitely more present inside him than the previous fragments. He couldn’t reply; his tongue was thick, useless, the blood sticky. His own heart was beating hard. Thanatos bit off another piece of the heart with a single, harsh jerk of his head. This time, Zagreus’ mouth was open and ready, and Thanatos fed him it to him gently.</p><p>They alternated between Zagreus taking a bite himself, and Thanatos feeding him. Sometimes, when Thanatos brought the heart to Zagreus’ lips, Zagreus tilted his head and licked over the rough torn flesh and whatever of Thanatos’ finger or bit of palm he could reach. Thanatos’ breath caught the first time Zagreus did that.</p><p>‘Stop messing around, Zag,’ he said, the second time, voice rough.</p><p>Zagreus did it a third time, and tried to get Thanatos’ fingertip into his mouth, where he could suck it clean. ‘I don’t have all night,’ Thanatos said, which was clearly a lie, so Zagreus did it again, and when Thanatos moved his fingers out of reach he let his tongue scrape across the meat at the base of his thumb. He could sink his teeth into that, too.</p><p>The heart was mostly gone by the time he got the chance, sitting hot and heavy in his stomach, filling him up, bite by bite. He hadn’t thought of how big it was, before he’d got to eat one, but now it seemed immense. He didn’t want it to end.</p><p>What was left of the heart could fit neatly in the palm of Thanatos’ hand. Blood still dripped from it, down Thanatos’ bare wrist and forearm. Zagreus bit down on the base of Thanatos’ thumb, sinking his teeth in and giving it a little tug.</p><p>‘Not me, you idiot,’ Thanatos said, sounding so affronted that Zagreus couldn’t help but laugh, muffled through Thanatos’ hand still between his teeth, and Thanatos hit him around the side of his head. Zagreus laughed harder, and bit harder, until finally Thanatos yanked his hand free with a curse and another blow that made Zagreus’ head ring.</p><p>He was still recovering, blinking away stars, when Thanatos gripped him by the nape of his neck and kissed him, hard and hungry, blood smeared.</p>
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